How to make masks that everyone will want to wear
A matter of design
A matter of function—and fashion
A matter of physics
A matter of psychology
Sometimes over distances long enough to cover a room.
Masks could be crucial to returning to some semblance of normal.
When a person coughs or sneezes, they produce a cloud of droplets. Larger droplets fall to the ground relatively quickly but the smallest ones, known as aerosols, float instead.
But can they encourage people to wear masks all the time?
Comfort, perceived risk, design, politics—it can seem as if the stars have to align perfectly to make people wear masks. But change takes time
“Whenever you have the option, use tightly woven fabric that has minimal leakage,” Verma concludes. “Any sort of covering is better than none.”
Cloth face coverings offer some security to the wearer, but their main intent is to protect others by stopping droplets in their tracks.
a stamp laced with pores less than a hundred nanometers wide, a third of the size of the holes on N95 masks, which can then be applied to a mask like a sticker.
Despite their very small diameter, nanopores allow abundant airflow, so the resulting material is breathable, repels water, and can be reused and sterilized. And just for
50 cents a unit.
They find uncomfortable, restrictive, or an impediment to breathing freely.
High-tech features and appealing designs could make mask-wearing more palatable.
“have to perceive that a situation is severe and that they are personally susceptible.”
For mask-wearing to be effective, it must become a habit
The best option may simply be to don a cotton mask, take a deep if uncomfortable breath, and work on making masks feel run-of-the-mill
These face protectors could help society hang on until treatments and an eventual vaccine are developed.
While droplets from the average cough traveled around eight feet from an uncovered face, they went only 2.5 inches when produced behind a mask made of two layers of simple cotton quilting fabric
Basically, no mask was perfect at stopping transmission, Verma says—confirming ongoing recommendations to combine masks with social distancing, handwashing, and other practices whenever possible.
Licensed the technology to three companies that plan to use it for both medical and commercial masks.
Fashion and technology must join forces.
Consider the cultural connotations of masks as they come up with new designs.
Designers and couturiers got involved in mask production as soon as the lockdowns began
The method, which could be used to construct pores as small as five nanometers wide, might eventually yield nanoporous fabric that people could use to make better masks at home.